Accelerator for urea-formaldehyde molding compositions



Patented Jan. 9, 1940 SATE S PATENT OFFICE HYDE MOLDING COIVIPOSITIONS David E. Cordier, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Plaskon Company, Incorporated, Toledo, Ohio,

a. corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Applic ation August 3, 1938,

Serial No. 222,750

3 ()laims.

The invention. relates to carbon compounds, and in particular to a novel latent accelerator for formaldehyde-urea molding compositions.

.When a thermosetting molding composition,

a such as a formaldehyde-urea composition, is molded under elevated pressure and temperature, it first softens and. then hardens at themolding temperature, whereas, a thermoplastic composition remains soft until the molded article has cooled. As a result, an article molded from a thermosetting composition can be removed from the mold after a relatively short time and while the articleis still hot, and an article molded from a thermoplastic composition cannot be removed from the mold until it has cooled and thus hardened sufficiently so that it can be handled.

The length of time for which a molding composition must be left in the mold is one of the factors that determines the cost of articles molded from the composition. A composition that must be left in ,the mold twice as long as another composition requires about twice as much molding equipment for the same volume of production, and hot-molding equipment is expensive.

Formaldehyde-urea molding compositions are thermosetting, but articles molded therefrom must be left in the heated mold for a short time after the article has become hard enough to be removed, in order that a resin of optimum prop- 30 erties may be produced. It has been found that curing the resin by keeping it at the molding temperature for the proper length of time is required to bring out its optimum properties. There is of course a demand for formaldehyde-urea mold-" 3d ing compositions for which a relatively short period of curing is necessary.

A latent accelerator in a formaldehyde-urea molding composition is an ingredient that accelerates the curing of the composition without macro terially impairing its stability in storage at ordinary temperatures. True latent accelerators are very rare. They may be alkaline, neutral, or so slightly acid that they do not appreciably acidify a molding composition when added thereto. It is believed that they are substances that break up or undergo molecular rearrangement to form acids, but do not do so until the molding tern perature is reached. The acids so formed must be strong enough to serve as catalysts that hasten the curing of the formaldehyde-urea resin.

Formaldehyde-urea molding compositions contain appreciable moisture, and are frequently kept in storage for weeks at a time before being i used. Many substances that might be expected to decompose to form acids under molding conditions suffer the same decomposition within a few hours after being intimately mixed with a formaldehyde-urea composition, and are therefore not latent accelerators. Moreover, the behavior of a substance when present asaminor 5 ingredient in a molding composition and subjected to molding pressures at the molding temperatures of to C. cannot be predicted from its behavior when subjected by itself to temperatures of 130 to 160 C. at atmospheric pressure. Most of the potentially acid substances that do not impair the stability of a molding composition when incorporated therewith likewise do not accelerate the curing of the composition in the mold.

A substance that materially impairs the stability of a molding composition is a highly undesirable ingredient. The manufacturer of a formaldehyde-urea molding composition must mold 20 articles for various periods of time at various temperatures and pressures and carefully test them' to determine the molding conditionsand curing time required to give the desired results.

,If a molding composition contains an ingredient 25 that materially impairs the stability of the composition, articles molded from the composition will be inferior, not only because the composition gradually deteriorates during storage, but also because the molding conditions required for pro- 36 ducing articles with the desired properties from batches of the composition that have been stored for various periods under various conditions are indeterminate.

Although certain halogenated organic com- 35 poundsthat liberate hydrobromic and hydrochloric acid when heated have been known to act as latent accelerators when incorporated in formaldehyde-urea molding compositions, accel erators that liberate organic acids are preferable a to accelerators that liberate strong inorganic acids. Certain organic peroxides, such as benzoyl peroxide, have been used heretofore as latent accelerators, but there are many organic pigments as that cannot be used in a molding composition containing a peroxide.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a novel latent accelerator for formaidehyde-urea molding compositions. More specific 50 objects and advantages are apparent from the description, which merely discloses and illustrates the invention and is not intended to impose limitations upon the claims.

The novel latent accelerator'of the present ing5 vention is O-benzoyl N,N-dibenzyl hydroxyl not develop surface cracks upon exposure to moisture as readily as articles molded from a composition containing benzoyl peroxide.

A formaldehyde-urea molding composition 01 the usual type, consisting primarily of cellulosic material (40 to and a formaldehyde-urea reaction product, may be employed.

Example A dried formaldehyde-urea molding composition containing parts of alpha-cellulose fiber impregnated with 200 parts of a formaldehydeurea reaction product is ground in a ball mill together with 1 part of O-benzoyl N,N-dibenzyl hydroxyl amine. The customary modifiers, such as lubricants, opaciflers and coloring matter, may also be added to the ball mill. After an intimate mixture has been obtained in the form of a fine powder, it may be granulated or formed into pellets so that it can be used conveniently for charging molds. The molding is performed under a suitable pressure at a temperature of about C.

Various applications of the invention may be devised to meet various requirements.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A thermosetting molding composition comprising a formaldehyde-urea reaction product and O-benzoyl N,N-dibenzyl hydroxyl amine as a latent accelerator.

2. A formaldehyde-urea molding composition comprising about per cent of O-benzoyl N, N- dibenzyl hydroxyl amine as a latent accelerator.

3. A formaldehyde-urea molding composition comprising a formaldehyde-urea reaction prod uct, cellulosic material, and O-benzoyl N,N-dibenzyl hydroxyl amine as a latent accelerator.

DAVE) E. CORDIER 

